


Falling into you

by plikki



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Identity Reveal, Kwami Swap, LadyNoir - Freeform, Minor Chat Blanc Angst, Minor Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:42:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24876370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plikki/pseuds/plikki
Summary: A minor injury puts Ladybug out of commission mid-battle, giving her time to consider her changing relationship with Chat Noir.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 62
Kudos: 252





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [maketea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/maketea/gifts).



> Happy birthday, Alizeh! Have a wonderful day and I hope some LadyNoir feels will make it even better!  
> I tried, I swear I did, to keep it just LadyNoir, but I'm too weak. Don't be mad at me, please!
> 
> This was a long time in the making, since I got the idea 10 days ago. So this gave me time to do something I haven't done before - use the very valuable services of a beta-reader. Thanks to InkyCoffee for helping me make this little gem shine brighter, her advice was invaluable! 
> 
> (If AO3 somehow messes up the date on this, it's for June 24!)  
> (Title from Celine Dion - Falling Into You)

It happened incredibly fast and yet Marinette was sure that from the outside it looked like those slow-motion videos where you can see the moment disaster strikes. There was no particular reason for her typical Ladybug balance and grace to leave her in that moment, but one moment was all it took. 

Even the magic suit couldn’t protect her, she found out. A small, miscalculated step was followed by a searing pain in her ankle and she was falling. But before she could hit the ground, strong arms caught her and she found herself looking into dazzling green eyes. There was no way of knowing which made her heart race - his proximity or the adrenaline coursing through her. Or both?

Before she could dwell on that, another painful throb from her foot made her wince. It was obvious it was absolutely useless to even try to step on it. And trying to fight while in excruciating pain was not something she wanted to try. But did she have any other option?

As usual, Chat could read her very well because he took her in his arms before she could protest and they jumped away from the scene of the battle. It was little consolation but at least the akuma was not a violent one so they could probably use several minutes without it causing too much trouble. 

She didn’t expect to be able to notice anything beside the pain and the uncertainty over their next move, but she did. The last phrase she’d ever expected to use of herself was a damsel in distress and she had only needed to be saved by Chat a handful of times. Yet, there she was, nestled in his arms while he sought a place for them to hide. It was not surprising that she felt totally safe and secure in his embrace. She trusted him implicitly after all. But what caught her off guard was how intimate it all felt too,in the best possible way. 

She’d gotten so lost in how good he felt and how she wanted to stay like this forever that when he suddenly looked down at her, she was surprised by how close he was. And how much she wanted to bring his head closer to hers and... 

“Do you think you can stand on your own?” she heard him ask. She blinked a few times, finally noticing that they’d stopped moving. To her horror, she felt her cheeks warm up. And of course her confusion and embarrassment didn’t go unnoticed by Chat. He cocked his head to one side, looking at her curiously, a telltale smile on his lips. She was sure he couldn’t read her mind but he must have sensed the direction of her thoughts anyway.

“I.. “ Marinette started, looking away. “Yes, put me down. I just need to step on the foot that’s not hurt,” she added. He hesitated, holding her against his chest as if he also wanted to keep her close for just a moment longer. She didn’t dare look at him again, she didn’t trust herself not to do anything stupid. And finally, he crouched allowing her to test her weight on her good foot before letting her go so she could stand freely. 

Marinette shook her head, trying to concentrate on the task at hand, but she quickly found out that she struggled to keep her balance   
“I need to sit down,” she said, already looking around, but all that met her was a bare rooftop. It seemed to be pretty isolated, caught between taller buildings on both sides, which meant it was a good temporary base for them. But they didn’t have any other choice but to sit on the ground. 

“What are we going to do?” Chat asked as she was trying to find a way to sit down, turning this way and that, to no avail. Yes, that, she thought, trying to focus on his words. Their priority was to think of a plan. Although with her hurt and out of commission like that, the truth was there was only one choice.

All of a sudden she was in his arms again and then he put her on the ground, helping her to sit while keeping her ankle out of the way. She smiled gratefully at him, amazed once again by how in tune they were with each other, making it redundant for her to ask for his help.

“Detransform,” she said, sighing as she tried to bring the conversation back on track. She caught the wide-eyed look he gave her. “Here, sit down with your back to me,” she explained. Once his back was against hers, they both uttered their detransformation phrases. 

“You’ve got yourselves into quite a situation, kids,” Marinette heard Plagg’s voice as she rummaged in her purse for Tikki’s macaron. 

“Quit it, Plagg. No one wanted this to happen. And it could have happened to either of us,” Chat said. She felt a strange warmth at his words. He didn’t accuse her of being careless. He was so incredibly understanding. 

“You know that we have only one option, right?” She asked him as her hands removed her earrings. She heard his sigh. Her ears felt so bare all of a sudden. She held the hand palm up with the Miraculous in it away from her. After a second she felt his hand on top of hers, slipping his ring in her palm while taking the earrings. The brush of his fingers sent electricity up her arm and straight to her heart. What was wrong with her?

Before he pulled back his hand though, her fingers closed around his of their own accord, a completely involuntary action. The skin-on-skin contact, one that didn’t last just a second, had a surprisingly calming effect on her. She had always known that underneath the mask he was a normal person, just like her. But it was the feeling of the skin of his hand against hers that finally turned this vague idea into reality, also making her admit that she didn’t want to let him go.

“Be careful, ok?” She said, trying to speak around the emotion welling up inside of her. 

“Of course, m’lady,” came his soft reply. She gave a final squeeze of his fingers and pulled back her hand. 

“Hey, Tikki, it’s good to see you again,” he said then, but his voice lacked its usual strength and confidence. Maybe he was just as affected by the whole situation as she was. 

“Hi…” Tikki began then coughed awkwardly. Marinette’s heart skipped a beat. Her kwami knew his name and had almost said it out loud for her to hear. 

“Careful, sugarcube, we don’t want accidents, right?” Plagg said, flying into Marinette’s field of vision. But he grinned teasingly at her. He would totally love it if Tikki caused an accidental reveal. 

She and Chat kept quiet as they put on the Miraculouses and transformed. Marinette knew that if she turned around, she’d never let him go. Her heart was already heavy with fear. She expected him to just leave, but then she felt something touch her hair lightly. Her breath hitched in her throat as she realised that it was his lips. 

“I’ll be back as soon as possible,” he said. And then he was gone. 

What followed were the most torturous minutes of Marinette’s life. If she could walk, she would have been pacing the roof. But if it wasn’t for her injured foot, they wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place. 

She wished she could have kept Plagg for company, but of course she needed to be transformed. Otherwise the final exchange of their Miraculouses would be tricky. So she had to sit there, scanning the rooftops for any movement and wait. 

She was so worried for him. She knew he could get the job done, she trusted him. But she wasn’t there to watch his back and so many things could go wrong. And why was he taking so long?

It gave her too much time to think about her earlier reaction to him. She wanted to deny the effect he had on her, but it was pointless. Which was so not fair. She hadn’t had such troubles before, when he was flirting with her at every opportunity. But you didn’t know him back then, a tiny voice told her, and you thought it was all a joke. Now she knew it wasn’t. But she knew something else too.

She didn’t want to think about that unfortunate trip to the future. But the warning in her mind had been crystal clear. To avoid that, to prevent him turning into a villain and destroying the world, she had to avoid falling in love with him at all cost. It shouldn’t have been so hard, not when she knew what was at stake. Then why did she have the feeling that it was already too late?

You can do that, she told herself. He’s your partner, you can be professional about all this. Just don’t pay attention to how he looks at you or how good it feels to be in his arms. And totally ignore the way you go weak at the knees when he smiles that soft smile at you. It’s not that hard, right? 

She realised that her pep talk had had no effect the moment she saw him drop down on the roof next to her. He was grinning as he dropped to his knees in front of where she sat, his eyes shining with pride. 

“I did it, m’lady!” he said. “I-Oof,” he gasped, as she shuffled towards him, bending her leg at an awkward angle, and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. 

“I was so worried,” she all but sobbed, her face buried against his suit. Relief washed through her but it was still not enough. When his arms wrapped around her and a hand moved soothingly on her back, the tension in her shoulders eased. 

“It’s ok, I’m here. I didn’t mess this up,” he said quietly. 

“I wasn’t worried about you messing up!” she exclaimed, looking up at him. “I know you can do this, silly kitty. But you were gone for so long!”

“I was? I didn’t notice how much time had passed. But I had to think of a way to lure the akuma in and find a way to defeat them on my own. I guess it took longer than I expected. I’m not as good as you after all,” he said teasingly, trying to lighten the mood. 

“I’m glad you’re back,” she said but then winced as pain shot through her leg. It was getting too hard to be in that position and her ankle was starting to protest.

“Here, let’s sit down for a minute. I just used Lucky Charm so I have some time,” he said, guiding her back to a more comfortable position.. 

“Are you ok? I was hoping that the Miraculous Cure would help you, but I guess since the injury was not akuma-related, it didn’t. But apart from the foot, you seem very agitated,” he said, looking at her with concern. 

“I’m fine,” she said too quickly. “Well, it’s nothing you need to worry about,” she added when he looked at her knowingly. 

“That’s funny, because I have a feeling that it has something to do with me,” he shot back. How could he be so perceptive, she thought. “It can’t be that I’m finally wearing you down, right?” He grinned, joking. This was something she didn’t have the strength to bear right then.

“Don’t joke about this. You know I can’t be in love with you,” she scolded him, looking away. She hoped it would be enough, that it would put an end to the discussion. Instead she felt a finger under her chin, gently turning her head to look at him again.

“M’lady, this is the second time you’ve mentioned this. Not that you’re in love with someone else. Or that you’re simply not in love with me. But that you  _ can’t  _ be in love with me. It’s strange phrasing it like that. It makes it sound like you want to love me, but something is stopping you? Am I reading this wrong?” The way he was looking at her was disconcerting. Especially with his eyes lacking any magical enhancement and still being the same vibrant green. He must have sensed her hesitation, because he continued. “Tell me. Whatever is troubling you, we can deal with this together.”

“I can’t tell you, you’re not supposed to know,” she admitted.

“If it’s something that weighs this much on you, you should.” It was indicative of how unsettled she felt that she didn’t hesitate before she gave in. 

“It was this terrible future. Something had happened and it was because we were in love,” she said, pain slicing through her. She could see the half-crazed, cold blue eyes staring at her. Speaking with such certainty. He pulled back as if she’d slapped him. 

“No. No way. You can’t believe that. Who told you?” he asked, desperate to prove her wrong. She didn’t want to tell him that it had been him, that he’d been akumatised. It would hurt him too much. 

“Well, the akumatised villain, actually,” she said instead. His eyes lit up.

“Since when do you trust the insane ramblings of akuma victims, m’lady? You know better than that!” He looked so certain that it made her waver. What if he had a point? It was pretty clear that that future version of him she’d met hadn’t been himself. From what she’d gathered, it was no wonder he’d gone a little crazy. What if she’d been too quick to take his words at face value?

“I- I don’t know. It was really scary, I didn’t even think to question it!” 

“Think again. So all this time you’ve been convinced that you can’t let yourself fall in love with me?” She swallowed, the need to look away again too strong. He must have seen something in her eyes. “Or has it already happened in spite of that?” He asked, cautiously. She closed her eyes, because she could no longer pretend. It was all too much. His fingers moved, cupping her cheek. 

“M’lady, don’t do this to yourself,” he whispered. “If you feel anything, don’t fight it! I assure you, it can’t be wrong!”

“Maybe I’ll think about it,” she said weakly. It was the least she could do. When he didn’t say anything, she opened her eyes. The determination she saw written all over his face made her gulp. 

“I’m doing this only because I’m sure you want it too and it can help clear your mind,” he said slowly. 

“Wh-” she was about to ask but his lips silenced her. It was instantaneous the effect it had on her. When he kissed her, her heart practically started singing. There was no other way to describe it. She absolutely melted under his touch and she was thankful that she was sitting down, she felt so weak all of a sudden. If there had been any doubt left, it was gone. She really, really loved him. He pulled back much too soon, looking a little dazed himself.

“Promise me you’ll think about it,” he said earnestly. “I’ll wait for you, take as long as you need. But don’t forget that the future is not set in stone.” She could hear the plea in his voice. Just then the final beep sounded from his earrings and they both jumped in surprise. He looked like he wanted to say more, but he just turned around and she did the same. Her mind still reeling, she transformed back and took the ring off. His hand was already waiting with the earrings and they exchanged them wordlessly. 

“How will you get home?” He asked, while she was putting the earrings on. She hadn’t even thought about that, she’d been so busy with the emotional turmoil she was in.

“It’s not so bad, I’m sure I can hobble home,” she said, trying to invoke some confidence in herself. 

“Close your eyes and give me your hand, I’ll help you up,” he said. She did as he asked. But once they were up, with her trying to favour her hurt foot, she didn’t want to let him go. Not when she’d finally admitted how she felt. She didn’t want to let go of that certainty he’d somehow inspired in her. He might be right. Together they could do things differently. 

She gave the hand she was still holding a squeeze. 

“Ok. I want to do this, to give us a chance,” she said, surprised by how strong her voice sounded. “But if we’re really doing it, we’re doing it properly.” She felt him squeeze her hand in return, showing that he understood.

And then they opened their eyes. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how many of you actually wanted a second chapter but here it is anyway. You can thank InkyCoffee for it, she demanded it the first time she read the fic, haha, and I couldn't say no to my wonderful beta! 😊  
> I intentionally wrote this one to offset some of the heaviness in the first chapter. This is lighter, funnier and fluffier! Enjoy!

Marinette stood frozen for a second, but her mind was doing cartwheels, moving from one realisation to another. Chat was Adrien! She’d just kissed Adrien! She’d basically admitted to Adrien that she was in love with him without realising it! Wait! If he was Chat that meant that Adrien was in love with her, oh God!

He looked like he was gauging her reaction while he himself didn’t seem to be surprised at all. 

“Huh, this makes so much sense,” was her sudden conclusion, which totally didn't give away the fact that she'd been screaming internally just now. He arched an eyebrow, waiting for her to explain.

“The fact that we were together and in love in that future,” she elaborated, finding that the more she talked, the calmer she felt. “Although this could have gone a number of ways. But what must have happened while our memories were wiped by Oblivio too. Oh, God, why did I never think of that? Of course I’d go ahead and kiss you. It must have been pretty obvious that I was already in love with you. I’d just missed the small detail of not knowing your identity in real life!” Now he looked confused and it was no wonder, to him her words probably made no sense.

“What do you mean you were already in love with me?” he asked slowly. Yes, he’d pick up on that. 

“It was you, always you,” she said, shaking her head, it was still too much to wrap her mind around.

“So just when I finally had you falling in love with me it turns out you were already in love with me?” he asked, not even noticing he was repeating the same thing. She felt for him, it must have been confusing.

“Yeah. You actually sound disappointed?” 

“Not disappointed, but it seems a bit anticlimactic. It’s just not fair that I was competing with myself all this time.” She couldn’t immediately place the emotion that crossed his face.

“You do realise that it’s insane to be... Jealous? Of yourself,” she uttered in disbelief, when she figured it out.

“I know, I know. I’ll get there in a minute, knowing that it doesn’t matter since I won the girl of my dreams, after all,” he said with a shrug, while she fought off the urge to blush.

“You, on the other hand, don’t seem surprised,” she said, her thoughts just tumbling out of her mouth. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, distracting her. 

“Well, that’s because I’m not. I was pretty certain I’d figured it out before you pulled that stunt with Multimouse. But even without it, I was told that it was best to forget it,” he said, shooting a look in Plagg’s direction. 

“I’m pretty sure I would have lost one of my lives if I wasn’t immortal, Marinette,” Plagg whined on cue. “I never would have thought that he’d be the first to connect the dots. But if it didn’t happen just now, I expect there would have been other moments in the future when he would have gotten close. He’s stubborn like that.”

“Marinette, do you realise now what happened in that alternate future?” Tikki piped in. She felt her eyes widen as she saw herself as Ladybug in Adrien’s room, leaving the present from Marinette. Of course he’d figured it out. And she’d been stupid enough to think that he’d just told someone else, something he’d never do. He hadn’t of course, he was the one who needed this information the most.

“Oh. This makes sense,” she muttered. 

“Well, at least it happened differently this time,” Tikki noted, shrugging. 

“You’re one to talk, since you almost outed them earlier,” Plagg teased her. 

“I didn’t mean to! It’s just that Adrien’s name was practically at the tip of my tongue. Do you have any idea what it is to listen to her go on all day, every day, “Adrien this, Adrien that”, and then I come face to face with him? I almost slipped!”

Marinette felt her cheeks warm up at her kwami’s betrayal, while Adrien was obviously trying really hard not to grin like an idiot.

“It’s not that bad,” she tried to protest.

“Of course, recently it was also “Chat this, Chat that,” and it was driving me crazy. The way you’d segue from talking about one to talking about the other and never make the connection.” The small kwami shook her head. 

“Ha, you think you had it bad? The times I’d have to listen to how great a friend Marinette is, and why she acts so strangely around him and oh, my favourite, she couldn’t be in love with him, she’d already said so herself. Gaaah. At times like this I almost told him! And I kind of preferred watching him moon over Ladybug, although it was another kind of torture,” Plagg concluded.

Marinette dared to meet Adrien’s eyes and he just shrugged. 

“We get it guys, we’re sorry for putting you through this,” she told the kwamis. She really felt bad for them. They’d known all along what kind of inconceivable mess they had themselves in and couldn’t say a thing. 

Of course, this was when her foot decided to remind them why they were on that rooftop and in that situation. 

“Ouch,” she muttered at the dull pain and discomfort from trying to leave her weight on her other leg. Adrien’s eyes snapped to her immediately.

“Right. Time to take you home,” he said, scooping her up in his arms before she realised what was happening. 

“What are you doing?” She exclaimed. 

“Taking you home. Also, you didn’t seem to mind when I did this earlier,” he said, leaning in and smiling the cheekiest grin she’d ever seen on his face, both as Adrien and Chat. Marinette felt like not only her cheeks but her whole face burst into flames. Nothing could have prepared her for flirty Adrien. Thankfully, he took pity on her and her embarrassed state very quickly.

“I’m just teasing you,” he said, kissing the top of her head lightly. And she was back to square one. If it wasn’t his flirting that would be the end of her, it would be how mindlessly he showed his affection in small gestures like that, while not noticing at all how it affected her. Well, most of the time, she corrected herself when he raised an eyebrow, taking in her still red state. She cleared her throat.

“Um. But I'm heavy and you don't have superhuman strength right now!" The thought that he could drop her was terrifying. Although she was sure that he wouldn't. "But most importantly you can’t carry me like that down the stairs,” she pointed out instead. Trying to hide her regret because she would have enjoyed it. He thought about it for a second and then sighed in defeat.

“You’re right, unfortunately,” he said, as he put her down. "Not about the heavy part. You're as light as a feather and I'm still fairly strong, “ he added with a wink. "Now, it's not fit for a princess but we have only one option left. "With that he turned his back to her. “Hop up!” She looked incredulously at him.

“You have got to be kidding me,” she said. 

“Not at all. I’m giving you a piggyback ride,” he said, grinning at her over his shoulder. 

“Why are you so determined to carry me home?” she asked, trying to buy herself some time. 

“Stubborn, I told you,” she heard Plagg tell Tikki.

“I’m not leaving my girlfriend to hobble home,” he said indignant, turning towards her. She got distracted by the sound of that for a second, but then decided it was payback time.

“Who told you that I’m your girlfriend?” She asked, trying to sound cool and collected and not like she was fighting a grin. His confidant facade cracked before her eyes and he looked at her suddenly unsure if he’d gotten things wrong again.

“But you did! Just now!” he said, his voice a little shrill as he was trying and failing not to panic. “Maybe not in so many words, but…”

“Relax, I’m just teasing you,” she said quickly. His expression transformed instantly. 

With a determined look he closed the distance between them and kissed her. Oh. It was an effective way to make her turn into mush, but not as effective as a form of punishment. She flung her arms around him and pulled him closer, using him to take the weight off her foot too. _Let’s see who can deal with this better,_ she thought as she kissed him back enthusiastically and heard him gasp. But pretty soon her glee was forgotten, because she was swept up in wonderful sensations. Did it really matter who had the upper hand when they could both enjoy this?

“Piggyback ride?” he asked when they broke the kiss, gasping for air. 

“Piggyback ride it is,” she agreed, sighing. 

It could be a lot worse, she thought as he carried her home. She buried her face in his neck and heard his delighted chuckle. Yeah, there was nothing to complain about, she didn’t mind being saved by him after all.

**Author's Note:**

> See you all for LadyNoir July!


End file.
